Types of Senior Living

Assisted Living provides a safe, somewhat supervised environment for people who want assistance with meals, housekeeping, laundry, transportation as well as support with activities of daily living, commonly called ADLs. This can include one or more of the following: dressing, bathing, grooming, and toileting. Medication Management is an important service offered in Assisted Living. Assisted Living also will provide opportunities for socialization, engagement, and activities.

(also called Memory Support)

Offering many of the amenities and services provided by assisted living providers, in memory care, there is typically more supervision and a greater amount of caregiver involvement in assisting residents with their ADLs. Activities and care are geared toward people with varying levels of cognitive impairment.

(also called Personal Care Homes)

Typically, these are private homes with far fewer residents than in an assisted living community. Regulations vary from state to state; the common denominator is the homelike environment and depending on licensing requirements, residential care homes often provide assisted living level care as well as memory support.

A SNF is a medical model, which means that people requiring medical interventions or who are recovering from an illness or injury can receive proper care. In many states, Assisted Living and Memory Care communities are not licensed for certain medical needs such as IV therapies, feeding tubes, sliding scale diabetes treatment, and wound care.

This option is ideal for active, independent people who may find meal preparation, housekeeping, and laundry services will make their lives more enjoyable and manageable. Many Independent Living communities will offer some assistance with transportation and group activities.

Respite usually refers to a temporary situation where either a family needs a break from providing care at home or is unable to care for their loved one at home for a limited amount of time. Sometimes just having a period of time in respite can help a family caregiver regroup, take time for some self-care, rest and rejuvenation. Policies for respite vary from community to community.

Hospice is the stage of care when curative strategies have been abandoned. Someone with a chronic illness in later stages or who may be within six months of end of life is a good candidate for these services. Hospice provides support not only for the person in care, but also bolsters the entire family by helping with grief and bereavement services, spiritual support, symptom and pain management. Hospice can be a wonderful relief for families during an emotionally difficult time.